Dazzling Dover: Committee heads festive morning light stringing

Thursday

Nov 15, 2012 at 3:15 AMNov 15, 2012 at 5:14 AM

By Andrea Bulfinchabulfinch@fosters.com

DOVER — Starting this week, a festive holiday glow will illuminate the downtown area thanks to efforts of the Dover City Lights Committee and the help of local volunteers Wednesday morning, securing more than 6,000 holiday lights.

Utility trucks were positioned throughout downtown waiting for instructions. Also, 150 new strands of lights were added to those remaining from previous seasons and 10 new stars were added to various lightposts in the city.

A handful of local businesses donated the time and effort of employees who met lights committee members early Wednesday morning to prepare for hours of light stringing.

“We feel it's important for our downtown,” Pam Simpson, chairwoman of the committee, said. With a clipboard in hand, Simpson met with committee members and helpers outside of her downtown eatery, Harvey's Bakery, following a brief meeting indoors.

Purchase of the lights is funded through private donations, a portion of Oktoberfest proceeds, ornament sales, and the annual Festival of Trees. Currently decorating the city is more than $20,000 worth of lights.

It took a long time, she said, to get to a point where the committee could work a year in advance, planning and ordering what lights and decorations would be needed for the next year. The new stars were ordered back in February when there was a post-Christmas deal on the illuminated decorations.

“The committee is just the most amazing committee,” Simpson said of the efforts made by more than two dozen members who also organize and fund the American flags seen through out the city.

Standing on the lawn of City Hall, committee member Phil Rinaldi gave instructions to workers Rick Averill and Jeremy Barrows, from Martineau Electric Company, Inc., who were tasked with the job of securing one of the new giant “swooshing stars” to a light post.

D.F. Richard, Leavitt Electric, Artisan Electric, as well as the city sent workers out for a few hours of the chilly morning to get things up and running.

Normally the lights aren't lighted until a little closer to Thanksgiving, but Simpson said she thought the lights would be turned on by Wednesday evening and that way any issues with timers could be worked out by the time the most eyes see them.

“It's such a festive holiday with people coming home,” she said of Thanksgiving and the following season of cheer.

As workers could be seen climbing trees, committee members walked up and down the stretch of Central Avenue in the heart of the Garrison City ensuring crews had whatever they needed to get every strand of lights up and then turned on.